# 5 Drive modes
It’s all the rage these days to offer drivers an à la carte menu so they can enhance or at least personalize the performance of their vehicle. The Nissan Rogue AWD offers no fewer than five modes (Off-Road, Snow, Normal, Eco and Sport), chosen via a thumbwheel mounted between the two front seats. Unsurprisingly, the Eco mode shuts down the powertrain as much as possible, while the Sport mode theoretically cranks the amp up to 11 - just don't expect a Jimmy Page solo when it's engaged.
As it happened, I was able to test the Off-Road mode on a snowbank that would have easily bogged down a compact car, and the Rogue behaved in an exemplary fashion.
# 6 An accommodating centre console
The new design for the centre console gets two fairly enthusiastic thumbs up from me. The new shift knob is way cool and gives you the impression you're sitting in a more expensive vehicle, while the storage space underneath the centre console is welcome. There is an adaptation period getting used to the placement of the shifting release button on the left side of the knob, but it isn’t very long.